


In a Land of Myth

by ThoughtsUponaPaige



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthurian, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-06-15 05:04:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15405579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoughtsUponaPaige/pseuds/ThoughtsUponaPaige
Summary: Medea doesn't remember who she is or where she came from but when she saves the Lady Morgana's life she's given a chance to start again in Camelot. Will she be able to make a new life for herself? Or will her forgotten past catch up to her?An Arthur Pendragon x OC, staring in season 2 of the BBC show Merlin.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story starts in Season 2 Episode 4 and carries on from there. In this version, Arthur has never had feelings for Gwen.

All she could remember was darkness. Medea had no memories of how she came to be alone amongst the ancient trees of the forest. No whispers of a past self to call upon for answers. She was alone and for once in her life she was scared. The only memory she had left was that of her name. She had no idea where she was, nor where she was going, but she knew her only option was to keep moving forward. Her feet ached, urging her to stop walking and to rest, but she didn’t dare. With a sigh, she pushed her tangled brown hair away from her face and adjusted the bow on her back to a more comfortable position. The bow brought Medea comfort, she didn’t know if she could even shoot the thing, but it was the only possession she seemed to have, and it felt familiarly heavy on her back.  
“Where am I...?” She muttered to herself, blowing yet more tangled hair from her eyes. “Or better still, who am I?” Medea took a deep breath to calm herself, her priority was getting out of the forest, she needed food and water, she’d have to deal with her lack of memories later. Medea looked up at towards the sky, barely visible behind the thick blanket of leaves. “Well at least I can still see the sun” she mused, deciding to follow the light; this forest had to end somewhere and at least following the setting sun would keep her going in roughly the same direction. Every step was a chore and Medea’s mind was racing with questions and made-up scenarios to answer them. Perhaps she had fallen and hit her head in the woods, and the loss her memories was a temporary symptom of that… That was defiantly a best-case scenario though and it seemed unlikely for as far as she could tell, she had no head wound, in fact, the only wounds she sustained were the scratches and bruises that painted her arms and legs from her hasty journey through the forest. Medea was so lost in her own panicked thoughts that she didn’t hear the frantic footsteps that were approaching her, nor did she see the distressed woman running straight at her until it was too late, and they were both knocked to the ground in a tangle of limbs and skirts. The other woman quickly pushed herself up, backing away and eying Medea with fear. She was a beautiful girl, with long wavy black hair, and bright green eyes. She was dressed only in what looked to be her undergarments and there were small cuts across her pale cheeks. She looked terrified.  
“Don’t worry, I won’t harm you” Medea said, giving the woman a small smile. The woman looked as panicked as Medea felt, she would have to be the level-headed one. After all, if she could calm the woman down, she might be able to show her the way out. The sound of heavy footsteps broke the silence and the woman’s head whipped round to look behind her in horror as two men in light armor broke into the clearing. Medea didn’t even have time to think, she instinctively snatched the bow from around her body, knocked her arrow and in one swift movement, drew the string, aimed and released. The arrow hit the man squarely in the chest and he went down instantly. Luckily, Medea’s quick attack was enough to stun the other man and she was able to draw another arrow, this time aiming for the man’s leg. Her arrow quickly met its target, her aim was perfect.  
“I guess I do know how to shoot this thing…” Medea breathed before grabbing the other woman’s arm and pulling her away from the man, who was now screaming in pain. “Let’s go!” She shouted, and the two women ran further into the forest, not looking back to see if they were being pursued. They ran for what felt like hours until exhaustion forced them to a stop. “Let’s rest for a bit” Medea gasped, trying to catch her breath. The other woman nodded and slumped down, leaning her back on a tree.  
“Who are you?” She said. It was the first time the woman had spoken, and her voice was laced with suspicion.  
“I wish I could answer that” Medea laughed, earning a look of confusion from the other woman. “My name’s Medea, that’s all I can tell you” Medea said with a small smile.  
“I’m Morgana” The woman replied, returning the smile.  
“Nice to meet you.” Medea nodded. “So, what are you doing out here, and why those men were chasing you?” she questioned. Morgana’s smile quickly faded.  
“I am the ward of Uther Pendragon; those men were hoping to hold me hostage for ransom” Morgana explained.  
“The ward of who?” Medea asked realizing he must be someone important if they wanted to take his ward hostage.  
“Uther Pendragon… The king of Camelot” Morgana replied, suspicion creeping onto her face again. “What about you? Why are you wandering around the forest alone?” She questioned. Medea felt a blush of humiliation burn on her cheeks.  
“I don’t know” She answered.  
“How can you not know?” Morgana said, her eyes narrowing.  
“I don’t know how I got here, I don’t know where I’m going, I don’t even know who I am!” Medea gushed, it felt nice to finally say it out loud. “I know it sounds crazy, but I have absolutely no memories, the earliest thing I remember is waking up in this forest, I don’t know where I came from or who I was before, the only thing I know is my name” Medea finished, her eyes glistening slightly with tears that she refused to let fall.  
“That’s terrible….” Morgana replied, her suspicion had faded away and she seemed genuinely sympathetic. “Well, it doesn’t matter who you are, you saved my life” she smiled, attempting to cheer Medea up. “I must return to Camelot, those men still have my maid, I need to go back to inform the king, so they may rescue her, you should come with me, our court physician Gaius may be able to help you” Morgana suggested, standing up and offering Medea her hand.  
“Thank you…” Medea replied gratefully, she had only just met this woman, but she could already tell she was kind-hearted. Morgana smiled and pulled Medea to her feet before letting go and walking deeper into the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

Hours were ticking by and the light of the sun was gradually fading. The girls would have to stop for the night soon, not that Medea particularly minded, her whole body was aching with fatigue and she could do with the rest, but it did mean another day without food.  
"Don't worry, I know we're going in the right direction" Morgana reassured her from in front. "We hadn't gone very far out from Camelot when we were ambushed, so we must be close." She continued.  
"Where were you going before you were ambushed?" Medea asked, perhaps conversation would distract her from her growling stomach. Morgana paused and glanced around at her with sorrowful eyes and Medea immediately regretted her question.  
"I was on a pilgrimage... to my father's grave" Morgana whispered, her words barely audible, but Medea had heard them, and guilt was washing through her like a rainfall.  
"I'm so sorry," Medea said lamely, she couldn't think of any other words to comfort the woman, that simple gesture would have to do. Morgana shook her head lightly, her companions attempt at cheering her up putting a small smile on her lips. The two women's attention, however, was quickly snapped back to reality as the sound of snapped branches and falling footsteps began echoing all around them. Medea quickly grabbed her bow and knocked an arrow, stepping forward to stand by Morgana's side protectively. By the sound of it, there wasn't just one person approaching them, but a group, perhaps it was more of the bandits that were chasing Morgana earlier, Medea thought. Morgana was unarmed, and Medea only had her bow, she would have to try and quickly take down as many of them as possible and hope it gave them enough time to run to safety. A group of men suddenly burst into the clearing. Three of them were wearing matching light armor which made Medea think they must guards of some kind. One of the men wore absolutely no armor at all, his only layers of protection being a worn brown jacket and a blue neck scarf, but it was the man in the center that caught Medea's attention. He was extremely handsome, standing tall in full chain mail and his golden hair was shining in the fading sunlight. Medea hesitated, her grip on the bow loosening ever so slightly. She didn't know why she was so taken aback by this man, he seemed more familiar to her than threatening until she realized that he had a crossbow, and he was aiming it directly at her. Yet, the golden-haired man looked just as taken aback as Medea felt, he too had hesitated and his eyes were locked on Medea with an expression that looked like shock. Medea took her chance. In one swift movement she nocked an arrow and aimed it at the one place the man was not protected with armor; his head.  
"STOP!" Morgan cried, stepping in front of Medea, effectively blocking both her and the man's weapons. "She's a friend" Morgana continued, talking to the man with the crossbow. It took Medea a moment to realize that Morgana was referring to her. She must know him Medea though to herself. She lowered her bow slightly but did not take the arrow out of the notch. The man also lowered his crossbow, his gaze fixed on Morgana as a look of relief washed over his features.  
"Morgana..." He breathed  
"Arthur...Thank Gods" She smiled back at him.   
"Where's Gwen?" The man wearing the neck scarf piped up. Medea looked at him properly now, he had jet black hair and kind blue eyes. Morgana's smile faded and she regretfully shook her head, tears glistening in her green eyes. So Gwen must be her maid... Medea thought. The black haired man said no more but Medea could see his eyes were swimming with worry and sadness over this news. She felt bad for him. Arthur gave his friend a sympathetic look.   
"Come" he said, "we have to get back to Camelot..." He took Morgana's hand and tried to pull her back in the direction the group had come from but Morgana snatched her hand back and laced it on Medea's arm.   
"This is Medea... she saved my life" Morgana began, glancing at the woman beside her " and she'll be coming back to Camelot with us" She declared with all the authority of a queen and with that walked off in the direction Arthur had tried to take her, the three guards following closely behind. Arthur's eyes fell upon Medea again, there was something about her that Arthur couldn't quite put his finger on. He knew they'd never met before, he'd definitely remember a girl as beautiful as her, but there was something undeniably familiar about the woman.   
"So... it's Arthur is it?" Medea's voice pulled Arthur away from his thoughts.   
"Ah... Yes..." Arthur said lamely with a tense nod. "And this is my servant, Merlin" Arthur continued, gesturing behind him to the black-haired man, who was staring back at his friend with a small, knowing smirk on his lips. Merlin looked over at Medea and gave her a warm smile.  
"I'm Medea" She introduced herself, returning Merlin's smile.  
"Well Medea, I guess we'll be bringing you back to Camelot" Arthur said before turning away and walking off after Morgana.  
"Here" Merlin said, holding out his arm for Medea to take "You must be tired, let me help" He finished with a timid smile. Medea was overwhelmed with gratitude as she took Merlin's arm and he lead her in the direction of the others. It's not like she couldn't walk by herself but she was exhausted and the extra support definitely helped. The fact that this man, a stranger, had thought about this and offered her help surprised Medea. "Don't worry, the horses aren't far" he reassured her.  
"Thank you, Merlin" Medea replied. If everyone in Camelot were like Morgana and Merlin, Medea knew she was going to like it there. 


	3. Chapter 3

Medea was in complete awe. Camelot was beautiful. The white walls of the castle towered high above her and the whole structure looked as if it was reaching up to touch the sky. They had ridden through forest and farmland and through bustling markets where people paused in their daily work to curtsy or bow as they passed. The people certainly seemed to recognize Morgana, but Medea noticed that the majority of the attention seemed to be directed towards Arthur, who was riding proudly at the front. Medea realized that he must be somebody important, after all, Morgana had said that she was the king's ward, yet he spoke so casually to her. Medea was starting to regret pointing an arrow at his face. The group rode into a large courtyard, where several guards were stood, ready to take their horses. Medea was already overwhelmed by the grandeur of the castle, especially now that she could see it up close, every inch of it seemed to be intricate and gleaming.  
"Wow..." She muttered to herself, taking it all in.  
"Wait until you see the inside" Merlin laughed up at her. He had already dismounted his horse and was now stood next to hers, arms outstretched, ready to help Medea down.  
"Thank you, Merlin" She laughed, taking his hand and dismounting her own horse.  
"Go and clean up and then come to the throne room, Father will want to see you." Medea overheard Arthur say to Morgana before walking away, waving a small gesture for Merlin to follow. Morgana walked over to Medea, taking her arm and gently shepherding her up the stairs, towards the castle.  
"Did he say father?" Medea questioned timidly, her eyes fixed on the spot where Arthur had been standing only moments before.   
"Didn't realize you were about to shoot the crown prince of Camelot, did you?"   
"well, that explains the bowing..."   
The corners of Morgana's lips curled upwards as she tried to stifle her laughter.  
"Come, let's get you cleaned up before you meet the king"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medea had decided that she was a good judge of character. She had known that both the lady Morgana and Merlin were kind on sight and though she was still trying to figure the prince out, she had instantly felt he was trustworthy. Uther Pendragon, on the other hand, she did not like at all. He was a tall and imposing figure who practically reeked of self- righteousness, and pride Medea didn't like him one bit. In fact, she felt rather like prey before a predator as she stood before the king in the throne room.   
"We managed to escape from the bandits due to Medea's skill with a bow, we were making our way back to Camelot when Arthur found us" Morgana was telling the king. Uther's cold eyes were examining Medea carefully.  
"And you say the girl has no memories?" Uther questioned, he was still looking at Medea, despite talking about her as if she wasn't in the room.   
"Yes. And despite being in such a distressing situation, she took it upon herself to help me. I dare say she saved my life" Morgana finished, giving Medea a small smile. Uther's eyes seemed to soften slightly.  
"I'm just glad you're safe" He said, placing a hand on Morgana's cheek. Maybe he did have a nice side Medea thought to herself. "It seems I owe you a debt" Uther continued, his gaze once again falling on Medea.   
"You owe me nothing, Sire. I'm just glad I was there to help" Medea replied, her voice sounding much more confident than she felt.   
"Nonsense, you must be rewarded" Uther stated, "our court physician, Gaius, will see to your well-being and you shall stay in Camelot as the Lady Morgana's companion until your memories return to you."  
Medea didn't need to see the shocked faces surrounding her to know that was a generous reward.   
"Thank you, Sire" Medea curtsied, glancing over at Morgana who was smiling back brightly, clearly happy with the arrangement. Morgana's smile quickly disappeared however and was replaced by a look of desperate guilt.  
"The bandits still have Gwen!" she exclaimed, turning back to Uther who gave her a confused look.  
"We believe they were Mercian" Arthur suddenly chimed in, Medea had almost forgotten he was there. She glanced over at him and their eyes met, causing Medea to blush furiously, she was still embarrassed about almost shooting the Prince of Camelot with an arrow. "We have received reports that Hengist has crossed the border" Arthur continued, his shifting back to his father.   
"Hengist?" The king questioned.   
"Well, you must send a rescue party" Morgana interrupted, giving Uther a pleading look.   
"If Hengist is holding her, it would take a small army to rescue your maid" Uther quickly dismissed the idea.  
"We can't abandon her!" Morgana argued, her anger rising at Uther's lack of concern.  
"How many men would you have me sacrifice to save a servant?" Uther laughed, but Morgana was in no joking mood.   
"As many as it takes" She replied stubbornly. "Gwen gave herself up so that I might escape, I owe her my life as much as I owe it to Medea, why should one be rewarded and the other abandoned?"   
Medea felt a stab of guilt, By the sound of it Gwen had done much more than she had. The maid had willingly sacrificed herself to save her friend, Medea had simply been in the right place at the right time, Medea thought that somebody so brave deserved to be rescued.   
"She gave herself up willingly and she will be honored for it" Uther replied in an attempt to appease his ward. It didn't work.  
"I don't want her honored, I want her rescued!" Morgana shouted, grabbing Uther's arm to prevent him from running away. The whole room had fallen silent and all eyes were on the king and his ward. "She is more than just my maid, she's my friend" Morgana said quietly. Uther sighed.   
"A servant is of no use to these bandits, I fear she's dead already, you must find comfort in your new friends" Uther replied, gesturing to Medea. Medea's stomach twisted in anger, did this man have no empathy?  
"No" Morgana said, shaking her head and pulling away from Uther's arms. "We cannot give up hope!" she continued, frantically looking around the room for support. Medea walked forward and placed her hand in Morgana's comfortingly. She would help her, even if it meant going to rescue Gwen herself. Morgana gave her new friend a desperate look before turning her attention to the prince.  "Arthur? I'm begging you" She pleaded.  
Arthur glanced at Medea and saw the resolution in her eyes. He got the feeling that she was going to help Morgana no matter what the king decreed. He wanted to help too, Gwen was a nice girl and he knew she meant a lot to Merlin but he couldn't challenge his Father in public...  
"My Father's right," He said sternly, he couldn't look Morgana in the eye as he did though. "I'm afraid there is nothing we can do" He finished, risking a glance at Medea who was still holding onto Morgana's hand. Medea couldn't believe it, Perhaps the prince was stubborn and unfeeling, just like his father. Yet, when his eyes locked with hers they didn't seem cold at all, but rather desperate and extremely determined. He was going to help She thought. This was all just an act for his father's sake. The corners of Medea's lips quirked upwards slightly in understanding and the desperation in Arthur's eyes turned to relief. Morgana, however, hadn't caught on to the prince's plan.   
"How can you say that?" She fummed "How can you live with yourselves?"   
Morgana was becoming hysteric, Medea had to get her out of there. She was sure the prince had a plan and the quicker the court was dispersed, the sooner he could put his plan into action. She squeezed Morgana's lightly and placed her spare hand on the lady's shoulder, gently guiding her out of the room. Morgana was still shouting at the king so all eyes were on her. Medea chanced a glance at the prince as she and Morgana left the room. Arthur was already watching her and gave her a small nod as their eyes met. The heavy doors of the throne room closed behind them and Morgana finally stopped shouting. The two girls walked in silence back to Morgana's chambers.  
"What now?" She asked hopelessly  
"Now... I go and save Gwen" Medea replied, giving Morgana an encouraging smile.  
"You can't do that alone, I hate to admit it, but Uther's right, it would take a small army"   
"Don't worry, something tells me I'll have help" Medea replied knowingly. Morgana glanced at Medea and realized that she wasn't joking, she really did intend to help Gwen. The lady felt a sudden rush of gratitude and affection for her new companion.  
"I'll make sure of it" Morgana murmured, standing up and walking towards the door of her chamber.   
"Where are you going?" Medea questioned.  
"To get you help" Morgana replied with fiery eyes. It seemed her anger had returned full force. "In the meantime, you go and see Gaius, I'll come and find you when I'm done" She finished, exiting the room without so much as a goodbye. Medea sat in stunned silence, Morgana's moods seemed to be as unpredictable as the weather. She got up and left Morgana's chambers, walking down the small spiral staircase and into a large hallway. This was only the second time Medea had been to this part of the castle so she had hardly had time to take in her surroundings. Morgana was nowhere in sight so it seemed she would have to find her own way to wherever Gaius was. She sighed in exasperation.  
"If I were a court physician, where would I be?" Medea mused to herself, glancing around at the multiple passageways.  
"I think I can help with that" A voice said from behind Medea, startling her. "Sorry" Merlin apologized with a sheepish grin "you looked like you needed some help"   
Medea returned his smile.  
"Thank you, Morgana suggested I go and see Gaius but left me without any form of directions" Medea laughed. Merlin chuckled   
"I passed her just now, it looked like she was heading for Arthur's chambers, and she didn't look too happy" He said.  
"Poor guy" Medea replied, knowing the prince had every intention of helping but not doubting that he was going to get his ear shouted off by Morgana anyway.   
"Shall we?" Merlin smiled, gesturing down one of the passageways, presumably the one that lead to Gaius.  
"Thank you, Merlin, I'm sorry to be a hassle" Medea said sheepishly, following Merlins lead.   
"No hassle at all" Merlin replied "I'm going that way anyway, I live with Gauis and I need to go to my room to pack"   
"Pack?" Medea questioned, raising her eyebrow at the servant.  
"We're going after Gwen" Merlin explained with a smile. Medea didn't have to ask who Merlin meant by 'we' and she had decided that the prince of Camelot was nothing like his father.


	4. Chapter 4

The room Merlin had lead Medea to was tucked away at the end of a narrow passageway, natural light spilled in from a large window on the left and the smell of old books and burnt sage hung in the air. Every surface was laden with curiosities; herbs and potions, crystals and books... Medea didn't know where to look.   
"Gaius?" Merlin called out, leading Medea over to a chair and gesturing for her to sit down. Barely a second had passed before an elderly man appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in a long blue tunic and wore a kind smile.  
"You must be Medea" He greeted, making his way over to where she was sat.  
"And you must be Gaius" She smiled back. He gave a small nod.   
"What were you doing in my room?" Merlin asked the man, confusion laced in his voice.  
"Looking for a book. Though why I thought I'd be able to find anything in that mess eludes me" Gaius replied with a stern look. Merlin simply grinned.  
"Well, you're in good hands, I'll go get packing" Merlin said, making his way over to the door Gaius had just appeared from.  
"So my dear" Gaius turned to Medea. "I hear you have a rather curious case of memory loss".  
"Yes, I've been told you may be able to help" Medea sheepishly replied.  
"I'll certainly endeavor to" he answered with a nod. "But first i'll have to do a quick examination".

 

Gaius's examination was relatively swift. He had searched her head for wounds and checked her reaction speeds, all of which had checked out as normal. She showed no signs of major external injury, nor of extreme hunger or dehydration and the only answer Medea had for any of Gaius's questions was "I don't remember" or "I'm not sure". She was starting to feel frustratingly useless.  
"There's no need to strain yourself my dear. Memory is a tricky thing, it may take time to recover what was lost" Gaius said with a reassuring smile.  
"But why was it lost, Gaius?" Medea sighed hopelessly.  
"I can't say for sure... but memory loss is usually triggered by trauma, due to your lack of physical injury, I would diagnose that you suffered a terrible emotional trauma in the forest" Gaius answered gravely, placing a comforting hand of the lady's shoulder. "Try not to worry. When the mind is ready to remember, it will". Medea gave the physician a dubious look but nodded at his words regardless of her apprehension. "Talking about the memories you do have may help your recovery... How about you come back tomorrow after some rest and we can continue from there?"  
"Perhaps when I get back" Medea replied as she stood up.  
"Get back?" Gaius questioned, his eyebrows raised in confusion.  
"I'm going on an.... errand.... for Morgana" Medea replied evasively. Gaius merely smiled at her.  
"The same errand Merlin seems to be going on, no doubt" he said, turning towards his ward who had reemerged carrying a large traveling bag. Merlin shot Medea a confused look.  
"Very well... But be careful" Gaius continued turning back to Medea who smiled at him warmly, giving him a reassuring nod.  
"I'm lost" Merlin stated, looking between Medea and Gaius.  
"I'm coming with you" Medea stated simply.  
"What? No you're not! It's dangerous!" Merlin replied, worry clear in his eyes.  
"I'll be fine. I know how to shoot and I already promised Morgana" Medea knew Merlin was just looking out for her but she couldn't let her new friend down.   
"You've already done enough for Morgana! Let me and Arthur handle this." He responded  
"But surely it would be useful, to have someone with you that knows the exact direction Morgana escaped from Medea stated with a raised eyebrow.  
"Well yes....but..." Merlin stuttered  
"And I can lead you to where I shot one of the bandits, his body should still be there. That might give us some clues as to where they've taken your friend" Medea finished.  
"Well we've figured one more thing out about you" Merlin smirked.  
"Whats that?" Medea questioned, her head tilted in confusion.  
"You're stubborn as a mule" Merlin chuckled, shaking his head. Medea grinned at him.  
"Fine" Merlin sighed, throwing up his arms in defeat "but you're going to have to convince Arthur."  
"Deal" Medea grinned, making her way to the door. "I'll meet you in the courtyard in fifteen minutes!" She called over her shoulder before exiting the room.  
"She's going to make things interesting around here" Merlin chuckled, turning back to Gaius.  
"For better or for worse." The physician replied, his smile slowly fading. Merlin knew that look all to well.  
"What is it?" He asked hesitantly.  
"Well, memory loss is complicated but generally it doesn't have such a sever effect. Most victims only loose part of their memories, usually the ones immediately connected to the trauma they may have suffered. Or sometimes people loose the ability to commit new things to their long term memory. I've never known someone to loose their memory entirely.... at least not naturally" Gaius explained.  
"Not naturally..." Merlin repeated "you mean magic?" he asked with a frown. Gaius nodded gravely. "you think a sorcerer purposely took her memories? Is that even possible?"  
"There are a few spells that could indeed have such an effect" Gaius replied.  
"But why?" Merlin questioned, bewildered.  
"That Merlin, is what we must find out."


End file.
